Namibia

GIZ has been working in Namibia on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) since the country gained its independence in 1990. We opened an office in the capital Windhoek in 1994.

GIZ has 23 seconded and 55 national staff working in Namibia in support of its partners. There are also 26 development workers and 15 CIM experts deployed in partner organisations in the field of sustainable development.

Namibia's development is hampered by a number of constraints. These include high unemployment and the resulting inequitable distribution of income. Despite comprehensive reforms, the quality of education in Namibia is in need of improvement. Namibia is also facing a challenge in the shape of land reform. Inappropriate laws on land ownership and a rapidly growing population are causing conflicts over the inequitable distribution of land, while the country’s natural resources are being destroyed by unsustainable and exploitative cultivation systems. There is a major risk of overuse and growing scarcity of natural resources, especially water. Large areas are threatened by desertification.

The country’s road network has been poorly planned and maintained, resulting in the inefficient use of public funds. Namibia has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa. A rapidly increasing number of AIDS orphans and inadequate awareness-raising and prevention measures are exacerbating the problem.

Based on the agreement reached between the German and Namibian Governments, GIZ’s activities focus on the following priority areas:

Management of natural resources

Transport

Economic development

In addition to the programmes and projects being implemented in these priority areas, we provide project advice in the field of basic education and health (HIV/AIDS).

We use results-based concepts and instruments to prepare, implement and evaluate international cooperation projects in Namibia.